The E.U.R. Project was initiated in
the 1920's financed and inspired by the fascist Mussolini
Government of the period the project was never completed.
The second world war and summary execution of Mussolini
put a stop to his plans.
Nevertheless, E.U.R. remains one of
the most fascinating areas of Rome and its' surreal
architecture has inspired many modern artists including
Di Chirico many of whose paintings were inspired by
this surreal area of Rome.
This particular building the Palazzo
della Civilita or il Colosseo Quadrato (Square Collosseum)
as it is popularly known was the work of Guerrini. Commissioned
and completed in the early thirties The architectural
style is technically known as "bombastic modernism"
but in everyday language it is fascist.
Indeed EU.R. is full of fascist inspired
architecture with the Palazzo della Civilita being one
of the most famous buildings in E.U.R and Rome. Recently
il Colosseo Quadrato was used by a major sports company
for a TV commercial which outraged Rome's cultural minister
and benefactor of the arts. Now unused the building
is a relic to a less than illustrious past and it is
almost impossible to find any books on fascist architecture
from this period.
Like many of the government buildings in E.U.R. it
was never used and lies empty to this date.
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